The Tale of Avatar Damien Xi
by Jbluejake
Summary: Two generations before Avatar Yangchen, the search for the new Avatar has begun. Even though the world is at peace, the Avatar will be needed soon, for the shadow of war will be upon them all. Meanwhile, Damien Xi, an Earthbender from the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se, learns he has a destiny greater than anything he has ever imagined, to abandon his life for the sake of many.
1. -Ba Sing Se-

Darkness covered the land, deep in midnight. No birds sung in the trees, only the grass being blown in the night breeze gave any sound. The rough, immense, sandstone Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se was silent and still as the Council of Five approached. They had been traveling day and night to reach Ba Sing Se from the distant city of Omashu. As they approached the wall in their carriage, a light was lit up on the Outer Wall by the guards stationed there. Their escorts dismounted their ostrich-horses and greeted the guards at the base of the wall. The lead of the escort gave their papers to a wall guard who then created a small opening in the outer wall to let their carriages pass through.

They had traveled for almost five whole minutes before they reached the other side and entered the Agrarian Zone. Some of the council left their carriage while the others moved on, heading to the Upper Ring and their homes, for they were wearing from their travels. Those that remained created a large slab from the wall and used their Earth Bending to make their way to the guards stationed above. They reached the top of the wall, scaling hundreds of meters in the process. At the top, they met the guardians of the wall. Both benders and non-benders alike were dressed in their traditional deep green armor, with thin helmets that hugged their faces with a feather on top, while the benders wore their wide-brimmed hats with no shoes, gloves, or weapons on them to be seen. In the torchlight, it could be barely seen that the benders were covered in a thin layer of dust, more prominent on their hands and feet than anywhere else.

"General Chao" the head of the guard said as he greeted the General with a traditional Earth Kingdom bow.

"Greetings, lieutenant" General Chao responded back. "Anything to report this evening?" he asked, gazing out to the dark horizon.

"No, sir" he stood upright again. "Everything has been quiet on all parts of the wall. Some Air Nomads made a camp on the Northern Edge, but nothing too disruptive. Some of our guards even decided to join their festivities while they were on their breaks" The general smiled.

"Ah…" he sighed. "Those silly airbenders. When you first meet them, you could easily confuse their devotion to spiritualism with their devotion to always throwing a good party" he laughed. The lieutenant smiled.

"So, how was your trip to Omashu, sir?" he then asked the general. At this, the general's face lost the warmth it had, being replaced with disappointment.

"Nothing" he muttered. "Not any trace of the Avatar. You'd think that by now, he or she would've been born, but… nothing. The king of Omashu knew nothing and hadn't received any word even after he sent out a public notice for everyone to look for the Avatar" he continued to gaze out towards the horizon, which far and was lost in the deep black of night. What he could see was so small that he felt like he was looking at one of his dioramas for an upcoming battle.

"Should I send word to the Earth King?" the lieutenant asked, ready to serve his general's wishes.

"No" he quickly replied. "I wish to tell the Earth King myself, having someone else do it may reflect poorly on me and my status" approached the edge of the wall, resting his hands on the turret, which was covered in loose dust.

"This kingdom, this city, is like the Earth itself, lieutenant" he began, losing himself in thought. "Impenetrable, with many layers, some more rich than the others. Traveling through these rings is like traveling through the crust, harder and firmer as you go deeper and deeper beneath the surface. The people in the Upper Ring have no idea what it is like here at the crust, the Outer Wall" At this, he turned and gazed at the Agrarian Zone inside the wall. Large, green, rolling hills and farmlands, with only the light of the sentries on the Inner Wall showing the end.

"Some may wish that the walls were torn down, that all of the Rings could coexist together. That is not what I believe. Should that ever happen, chaos would ensue, structure would be lost, life would turn into anarchy. This is what we thrive on, among many other things" the general sighed. "Well, there I go again" he laughed once more. "Sometimes I wonder if I should've studied Philosophy at Ba Sing Se University instead of Military Tradition and Defense". The lieutenant smiled.

"It's thanks to you though, general, that our military campaigns have succeeded in the furthest reaches of our kingdom" he told him.

"Ah, yes. You're right. Thank you, lieutenant" he answered back. Only now did he notice that the other two generals that had traveled up the wall with him had left. "Where did General Guo and Kun wander off to?" he asked a bender guard who was standing in a nearby rampart, drinking some hot Jasmine tea.

"Oh" he replied with a gruff voice. "General Kun has gone to speak with our families in their homes" he pointed down the inside of the Outer Wall to the houses affixed to wall. "Some of the new families he wanted to make sure were settling in nicely"

"What of General Guo?" the general asked.

"He has gone to the Northern Edge. He didn't say why, all I overheard him say before he left was ' _I hope they still have some Fruit Pies left!"_ the guard replied, taking off his helmet and setting it on the ground.

"Why does that not surprise me" the general chuckled. Everything was peaceful in the Earth Kingdom. When one of the most powerful generals on the entire continent could be merry and feast, the world was at peace. Still, the Avatar had not been seen for many years now, almost twenty years have passed since the death of Avatar Amaruq of the Southern Water Tribe, and yet there was still no news of the new Avatar's appearance. Even though the world was at peace, the Avatar would be needed soon, for the spirits would grow restless, crossing the boundary into this world. General Chao stayed the night at the Outer Wall, having a feast of his own with the Night Watch, which consisted of delectable egg-crusted tart and pan-fried noodles with a side of rice.

The next morning, a chariot arrived at the wall to pick up the three generals early in the morning. They descended the wall, climbed into their chariot and made their way through the Agrarian Zone. The farmlands extended far and wide, with many of the people in the guards' families tending to their crops closest to the Outer Wall. The sounds of cicadas, dogs, and farm animals filled the air, often being faint and in the distance. On the far side, at the base of the Inner Wall, many citizens of the Lower Ring were traveling to their farms to work for the day. Others lived in the Agrarian Zone in small farmhouses, with thatched or clay roofs with circular doorways that all faced south.

As they traveled to the Inner Wall, they passed by carts pulled by ostrich-horses that were traveling to the Lower-Ring to sell their goods, while others who made more highly demanded crops would be making their journey to the Middle-Ring. Among farmers, the generals' carriage looked like an oddity, but many of the generals waved to the people, showing their care and sympathy. After a half hour, they reached the Inner Wall. It wasn't as high as the Outer Wall, but just as thick, for it was the final barrier keeping invaders out of the actual city itself. It was also only watched by Earthbenders and Dai Le agents, who let the generals pass through easily. They passed through the Lower and Middle Rings, reaching the Upper Ring and the Capital shortly after noon.

Finely laid stone streets replaced the dirt ones of the Middle and Lower Rings. Grey stone buildings were spaced about the ring, with gardens filled with Jasmine and Moon Flowers a common sight among the houses, with ornately carved fountains and rivers crisscrossing through the Upper Ring. The roofs varied from all shades of gold and yellows. They were all tiled with upturned corners, just like the roofs of the lower two rings. Some houses rested on hills while others rested in the valleys, shaded by Apple and Mango trees, but all were enclosed in their own courtyards and compounds of many buildings. Passing through these roads were elaborate carriages, much like the generals' carriage, transporting the richest and most important government officials of Ba Sing Se.

The ride from the edge of the Upper Ring to the Earth Kingdom capital was much shorter, considering how this was the smallest of the three rings. The capital itself was almost its own city, being surrounded by its own wall, painted red with plaster. The Southern Gate marked the meridian through the city, and through the kingdom itself. After checking with the immense amount of guards, they passed through the three arches of the gate and under the two-storied pavilion and out of sight of the two guard towers that kept a watchful eye of those who entered the capital. The large inner plaza, filled with defensive positions for the Royal Earthbender Guards then welcomed them in as they exited their carriage and walked up the long set of stairs into the Outer Court.

After walking through elaborate temples and buildings of the Outer Court, they reached the Inner Court and finally the king's palace. Pushing their way through the large jade doors of the entry hallway, they entered the Throne Room and were greeted by the Earth King, King Hui.

"Ah! There's the rest of the Council of Five!" King Hui exclaimed, clapping his hands as he did so. The soldiers snapped to attention as King Hui bended his throne up from the floor on a slab of rock to greet the three generals. He set his throne down and shook each of their hands. He then gestured them towards the throne as he moved it back to its original position.

"So. How did the mission in Omashu go?" he asked them eagerly.

"Not so well, your majesty" General Chao told him solemnly. "We still have no idea on where the Avatar is, or if they have even been born yet. Forgive me" he bowed in shame.

"No no no General Chao" Hui told him, walking down from his chair to bring up from his bow. "I don't blame any of you. The Avatar will show him or herself eventually and if not, they will appear when we need them to" General Chao nodded at this, looking up at Hui. Hui was dressed in the traditional Earth King garb, golden and green robes that flowed down to the floor, with a beaded necklace with a deep jade emblem of the Earth Kingdom hanging from it, highlighted with gold. Hui was old, with short trimmed grey hairs and no beard. On his head he wore the crown, a large green hat with a large Earth Kingdom coin set into it, similar to the one behind his throne, guarded by the badger-mole statue.

"I have spoken with messengers from the Avatar Temple in the Kolau Mountains. When the Avatar returns, the eyes of the past Earth Kingdom Avatars begin to glow. They have been glowing now for the past eighteen years, which makes me believe that the Avatar has indeed returned" Hui went on. "But since we have had no luck, this leads me to believe that the Avatar is not destined to be revealed anytime soon" The generals agreed with him, leaving the capital to return to their homes in the Upper Ring. The sun set, splashing the sky and clouds with deep reds, yellows, and pinks as the city of Ba Sing Se slept in peace.


	2. -The Hero of the Middle Ring-

The light of a new day was hidden behind thick clouds, lying on Ba Sing Se as a morning fog. It was behind the walls that Damien awoke to travel to Ba Sing Se University. He had thrown the sheets of his bed and turned to stand up out of bed, but he stopped. Damien turned his gaze towards the small table next to his bed. On it, there was a small flower, a Panda-Lily. It was withered, many petals had dropped from the flower and the once intoxicating scent had faded. Damien sighed. Steeling himself, he got up from his bed and walked out of his room into the hallway after dressing himself for the day.

Damien could hear his mother and father downstairs talking, but instead of descending to greet them, he walked into their house's bathroom. He slid the door shut behind him and looked at himself in the mirror. Large, thick brown eyebrows sat above deep green eyes, with long brown hair framing a smooth face. He grabbed a brush from a drawer and began brushing his hair to make it more appealing, more attractive. He began to think that he was doing just that, but soon looked at his own face, seeing nothing but his own flaws. Despair creeped back into his heart as he simply quit his hopeless attempts and went to greet his parents downstairs.

His father, once Damien came to view greeted him happily, with a sly smile on his face.

"Good morning! How'd you sleep?" he asked. "Eh, fine" Damien replied. He eyed a small box that sat near the stovetop on the counter. It was richly decorated, something out of place anywhere except the Upper Ring. "What's that?" Damien asked. They followed his gaze and saw the box. His mother stood up from her chair near the window and grabbed the box.

"This is something I brought home last night from the _Upper_ Ring" she told him, smiling. Slight surprise dawned on Damien's face. They opened the box and Damien gasped.

Inside was a soft, velvety covering that held a gold necklace in place. At the end of a chain was a circular ring of gold, with the emblem of the Earth Kingdom set into it, a trapezoidal shape with fist-like shapes enclosing the bottom. Inside and above the fists was a swirl. The chain was made from rose gold, with the pendant being a bright pendant of gold. The swirl in the emblem was made of emerald, cut into a swirl. Its deep green was mesmerizing, deeper than any leafy canopy or field of grass. Something like this seemed more fit to be in the halls of the Earth King than in their family's apartment.

"How did you get this?" Damien asked, not bothering to hide his astonishment.

"This was given to me by the Earth King himself" she told him. "I had traveled to the Upper Ring on business from the Middle-Ring Capital" she took the necklace from its case and held it up in the air. "The Earth King had seen how the others in the Upper Ring were treating me as if I was some peasant, as they normally do there. He told me that I was _'anything but a peasant'_ and decided to give me this necklace. I immediately refused, but he insisted, telling me to give it to my son if I wouldn't accept it" she finished.

Damien fell silent as this revelation set in. He looked at his mother slowly and then back to the necklace. She smiled and undid the clasp that held the chain together, fell behind Damien and hung the necklace around his neck. She then hugged him tightly, and Damien did the same.

"Why would you do this?" he asked her in astonishment. "We could sell this, get food, a new apartment!" She let him go and looked at him as he continued. "How does the _Earth King_ even know who I am?"

"I've been there before and have talked with the Earth King many times" she told him. "You've have often come up in conversation. He thinks of you very highly"

"What? Why?" he asked, his astonishment wearing off.

"I have told him about how great of a man you are, studying intently at the university and how much character, how much integrity you have. He believes that anyone in my family should be worthy of living the Upper Ring" she laughed. "He's too kind, our king". She gestured to the stove. "Your father made you breakfast, so you might want to eat and head out"

"Yeah…alright" he responded, not looking forward to head back there. He finished his breakfast, put on his school robes, green and faded gold, and then left their house onto the stone streets. It was paved with thick sandstone blocks that rubbed against Damien's bare feet. Passing through the wide streets, he made his way towards the outer wall that separates the Upper Ring from the Middle. It was there that Ba Sing Se University was located.

Damien was only a few blocks away from the university when a nearby shop exploded. Rubble and debris was thrown everywhere, when the Quake Clan exited the shop, bags of money in their hands.

"MAKE WAY!" the leader yelled. He slammed the ground with his foot and caused a small earthquake, sending many of the civilians toppling down onto the ground. Damien managed to steady himself, encasing the ground beneath his feet around his feet with Earthbending. Damien, being an Earthbender and citizen of the Middle Ring, immediately wanted to stand up to the Quake Clan. They had been pillaging shops during the night for the past five months, leaving many people crying out for the Avatar to arrive and save them. Damien knew he was no hero, let alone the Avatar, but he had to try. He had felt hopeless for the past couple of weeks. He knew that if he tried, some good could come out of it, which was all that mattered to him right now.

"HEY" he yelled at them, they turned a looked at Damien. "I don't think that belongs to you" he told them. They smirked at this.

"Yeah?" one of the Quake Clan asked. "And do you think you're going to stop us?"

"Yep. That's exactly what I'm going to do" Damien replied, immediately pulling two boulders from the ground. Quick as a flash, he hurled them at the Quake Clan, sending one of them back into the rubble of the shop. They turned on him, furious that someone had the guts to stand up to them.

"One sent a wave of earth towards Damien, which launched himself away from, on a pillar of stone. He turned back and turned the ground around that man's feet into quicksand, sending him into the ground up to his waist. Another member of the Clan pulled down the building on the opposite side of the street down onto him, which Damien only barely missed. He laid prone on the ground for only a brief second, but that was enough for the clan to encase his body in stone. They lifted him up into the air in his cocoon of stone. He struggled to break free, but the clan had him rendered helpless. The leader looked at him, slowly making the cocoon tighten around him, soon, Damien knew his bones would begin to break.

"You… little _insect!_ " the leader exclaimed. "You thought you could stop us, but you were wrong. We are the true leaders of the Middle Ring…and soon, all of the rings will be under our control. To think, a puny Earthbender such as yourself thought you could stand against us" He slowly turned over Damien in the air, until Damien's head was pointing straight at the ground.

Damien's mind began to race as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He regretted everything that led up to this point. His parents would soon learn of his murder, but he knew that it would be his fault, that they lost him because he was stubborn enough to stand up to the Quake Clan. He saw the necklace his mother gave him hanging into the air. He slowly closed his eyes, knowing there was only one outcome. He though back to his life, his aunts and uncles in the Lower Ring, his friends at the university, and Ming, who had left him, broke up with him for someone else, leaving his heart and emotions in pieces.

"Let you be an example…" the leader of the Quake Clan continued, gazing out at all the bystanders, who were too afraid to do anything. "Should anyone try to stop us, they _will_ be destroyed, crumbled under the feet of the Quake Clan" he looked back to Damien like he was truly an insect, something he could crush with just his fingers.

Then the impossible happened.

Damien's lost consciousness and screamed. The ground shook, the cocoon that had once held Damien broke in what was almost like an explosion, showering the people around him in dust. He briefly hovered in the air, a cyclone holding him up in the air while his green and gold robes billowed out around him, his necklace moving violently in the gust. He dropped from the cyclone and onto the ground, striking the ground with his fist. A huge quake emanated from his fist, toppling what was left of the Quake Clan. He slowly stood as the Quake Clan gaped at him in horror. Damien's eyes were glowing immense, bright white. The gust still raged around him as his fists spit fire at the Clan, lighting the rubble of the shop ablaze.

The Quake Clan, utterly terrified, dropped their bags on the ground and ran, their leader looking back at Damien.

"THIS ISN'T OVER!" he told Damien as he ran off. Damien's eyes then slowly dimmed and returned to normal. He stood still and limp, slowly returning to consciousness. He looked around him, seeing everyone staring at him in awe. They began to cheer, uneasily at first, and then it grew. Damien quickly looked at the flaming rubble of the shop, while the memories of the past five minutes came rushing back to him. It was now Damien's turn to be horrified.

He stared at the flaming rubble and destroyed street. He raised his hand to his mouth in shock. As they began to cheer, a single word emanated above the rest.

" _Av-a-tar! Av-a-tar! Av-a-tar! Av-a-tar!"_ they cheered. Panic was all Damien felt.

"No, no no no no no!" he said, grabbing his head. He quickly grabbed his bag, full of his texts and papers for school, and ran towards the direction of Ba Sing Se University, but the huge crowds blocked him along with royal earthbending guards.

"Please, let me leave!" he shouted, trying to talk above the sound of the cheering. He couldn't cheer at all over them. They simply got louder.

" _Av-a-tar! Av-a-tar! Av-a-tar! Av-a-tar!"_ The guards approached him, attempting to keep him there.

"Please, you must accompany us to the Capital" they told him. He just shook his head.

"Let me GO!" he desperately yelled. They all took a step back from him, guards included. All of them looked nervous, just in case Damien went into the Avatar State again. This was crushing to Damien. Not only did he lose Ming like many others before, now he was viewed as dangerous by everyone around him, like a volcano ready to erupt. A single guard approached him, moving slowly as to not upset him.

"Listen to me… what's your name?" he asked.

"D-damien. Damien Xi" Damien answered.

"It's nice to meet you Damien. I am Lieutenant Zhang, please, come with us to the Capital. We _need_ you there" he told Damien.

"No, no I can't" Damien told him.

"I beg of you" Lieutenant Zhang begged, "Please come with me. You are the _Avatar_ " At this, Damien almost lost it.

"NO, I'M NOT!" he yelled again. The ground around his feet cracked, slowly spreading out to the edges of the streets.

"What should we do?!" another Earthbender soldier asked Lieutenant Zhang. Zhang looked around at the soldiers.

"Let him leave" he told them. "We need to give him some time to come to terms with this" He then gestured for the crowds to part for Damien to get through. He immediately took this chance to leave, running off and around the corner, leaving the Earthbender guards to clean up the street and help everyone get back to the rest of their days.


End file.
